Cheese container



June 14, 1966 R. E. J. LANQUETOT 3,255,911.

CHEESE CONTAINER Filed Dec. 13, 1962 United States Patent 3,255,911 CHEESE CONTAINER Roger Emile Jean Lanquetot, Saint Martin de Bienfaite, France Filed Dec. 13, 1962, Ser. No. 244,510 Claims priority, application France, July 27, 1962, 905,264; Oct. 19, 1962, 912,793 5 Claims. (Cl. 217-42) This invention relates to boxes and like containers for foodstufis and notably to boxes for packing cheeses, comprising at least one central portion made of straw or like product.

The composite box according to this invention is intended primarily for packing foodstuffs, notably cheeses. Its vertical walls and one portion of its bottom and also of its lid consist of a suitable rigid plastic material having embedded therein the end portions or tips of the straw blades or stems forming the said bottom or lid, the upper portions of said vertical walls of the box elements constituting a rigid or semi-rigid plastic tube, formed preferably with an external annular shoulder or step engageable by the lower edge of the lid.

Two superposed disc-shaped wisps of straw forming two crossed layers, hot-compressed in a moist and preferably aseptic or bacteria-free atmosphere, in pressing to the desired shape the wisps of straw designed for forming the bottoms and lids respectively.

Other advantages and objects will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 and FIGURE 2 illustrate respectively a lid and a bottom of a composite box assembly which are manufactured in the injection-molding machine and mold of this invention.

FIGURES l and 2 show respectively a box lid-forming element 500 and a box bottom-forming element 501 according to this invention. Considering for instance FIGURE 1 in connection with the maufaucture of the lid 500 it will be seen that this lid comprises two crossed layers 502 and 503 made each of parallel straw members and that it comprises a plastic-free central portion 504. In other words the central portion 504, which extends almost up to and is thus situated at the region of the outer periphery of the end wall of the lid, is made up entirely of two layers of straw members where each layer is composed of elongated straw members arranged in side-by-side, contiguous relation with the straw members of one layer crossing the straw members of the other layer. of the same construction as the end wall of the lid 500. The straw members are natural and are derived from plant life occurring in nature. Because of the fact that the straw members used in the structure of the invention are natural, they have sufficient irregularity to define between themselves, although they directly engage each other, interstices through which the interior of the box can communicate with the outer atmosphere, so that the box of the invention is capable of breathing to provide for the proper preservation of an article such as a cake of cheese in the interior of the box of the invention. At the end of the vertical wall 505 in which the tips or free ends of the straw members are embedded, there is the marginal bead 506 formed at the level of the lower ends of these straw members.

Considering now the bottom 501 of the box which is The bottom element 501 has an end wall shown in FIGURE 2, it will be seen that above an external bead 507 similar to the 'bead 506 of the lid 500 of FIGURE 1 a straw-free plastic skirt 508 extends upwardly.

In FIGURES 1 and 2 it is assumed that the lid and bottom box element comprise each two layers of parallel straw members crossing each other. It may be noted that satisfactory practical tests have been carried out with a single layer of parallel straw members. On the other hand, it may be noted that it would not constitute a departure from the scope of the invention to use more than two layers of straw members, this being advantageous when using very short straw members.

The manufacture of the straw discs proper has not been described in detail herein, as these discs can be prepared in any suitable and known manner, by gluing or sewing their outer edges, these edges being spaced from each other by a distance greater than the diameter of the straw-cutting elements of the press.

The various features of novelty, which characterize the invention, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed hereto, and forming a part of the specifications.

What I claim is:

1. A box for packing food studs and notably cheese, comprising a lid-forming element and a body-forming element each having an end wall and an integral plastic lateral wall, at least the end wall of one of said elements having at least a central portion consisting of natural straw members arranged in contiguous side-by-side relation and having sufiicient irregularity to define between themselves interstices through which the interior of the box can communicate with the outer atmosphere.

2. A box according to claim 1 wherein said straw members have free 'ends situated substantially at the region of an outer peripheral portion of said end wall of said one element and are embedded in said lateral wall.

3. A box according to claim 2, wherein said straw members curve through said peripheral portion of said end wall of said one element.

4. A box according to claim 1, wherein the lateral wall of said body-forming element comprises a peripheral bead and beyond said head a plastic skirt portion adapted to fit within the lateral wall of said lid forming element and wherein the latter terminates in a peripheral outer bead, said bead being adapted to abut one another.

5. A box for packing food stulfs and notably cheese, comprising a lid-forming element and a body-forming element each having an end wall and an integral plastic lateral wall, at least one of said end walls of one of said elements having at least a central portion consisting of at least two layers of natural straw members arranged in each layer in contiguous side-by-side relation with the straw members of one layer crossing the straw members of the other layer and said straw members having sufiicient irregularity to define between themselves interstices through which the interior of the box can communicate with the outer atmosphere.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS (Uther references on following page) UNITED STATES PATENTS OTHER REFERENCES 2,663,264- 3/1953 Dinsmore et a1. 21513 792 35 12 1959 France 2,741,414 4/1956 Nottage 20646 2,918,379 12/1959 LllIi6 206-46 THERONE C NDON P E 2,936,494 5/1960 Johnson 264-259 5 O j 2 937 949 5 19 0 Lovcnbruck 217 42 ALEXANDER H. BRODMERKEL, Examzner. 9 1 G mir 1 F, MARLOWE, SCHWARTZ, 3,077,638 2/1963 Hickam 264259 Assistant Examiners. 3,113,347 12/1963 Kufrovich l836 3,117,348 1/1964 Rees 1830 10 3,117,349 1/1964 Woods et a1. 1836 

1. A BOX FOR PACKING FOOD STUFFS AND NOTABLY CHEESE, COMPRISING A LID-FORMING ELEMENT AND A BODY-FORMING ELEMENT EACH HAVING AN END WALL AND AN INTEGRAL PLASTIC LATERAL WALL, AT LEAST THE END OF ONE OF SAID ELEMENTS HAVING AT LEAST A CENTRAL PORTION CONSISTING OF NATURAL STRAW MEMBERS ARRANGED IN CONTIGUOUS SIDE-BY-SIDE RELA- 